The Buzz | Portuguese teachers protest austerity cuts

Several hundred Portuguese schoolteachers staged a demonstration in Lisbon to protest the government’s education policies.
Seven teachers’ unions organized the march yesterday, attracting protesters from across the country.
Among the issues angering the unions are evaluation tests for seasoned teachers, a lack of investment in specialized training, cuts to school budgets and layers of additional bureaucratic responsibilities being added to teachers’ workloads. The protesters are also upset over the forced closure of schools with too few students.
Portugal’s center-right government has cut funds for public education and trimmed teachers’ pay in recent years as part of an austerity program. The measures were among those enacted in return for Portugal’s three-year, 78 billion euro (USD101 billion) international bailout.